Sturisoma is a genus of whiptail catfish (family Loricariidae, subfamily Loricariinae) from South American rivers and streams, recorded in the atlas from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana and Paraguay. They have the elongated, flattened body and greatly extended, whip-like caudal fin typical of the whiptail loricariids, an adaptation for hugging submerged wood and vegetation in current while grazing algae and biofilm off surfaces. The atlas covers 9 species, from about 5–11 in, several sharing the common name royal whiptail.
Sturisoma species are among the more approachable plecos to keep and, notably, to breed in the home aquarium — males guard a flat clutch of eggs laid on glass, wood or a pipe, fanning and defending them until they hatch, a level of visible parental care that draws in breeders who might otherwise never attempt loricariid reproduction. They do best in well-oxygenated water with driftwood to graze and rasp, alongside a diet supplemented with vegetable matter and algae wafers, since a bare tank under-supplies their natural browsing. Conservation status is largely reassuring — seven of the nine species the atlas tracks are Least Concern — with one Vulnerable and one Data Deficient species rounding out the genus.